


Red String of Fate

by Dylkntz



Category: Boy Meets World
Genre: Bisexual Jack Hunter, Eric also doesn't become comic relief thank you very much, F/M, Gen, Idiots in Love, M/M, No Proof Reading we die like Men, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Period-Typical Homophobia, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate AU, aro/ace Jason because I said so, bisexual eric matthews, cursing, demiromantic shawn hunter bc i said so, finally writing for the bisexual himbos, set in season 5 but time line may be a bit wonky for the sake of the au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27832384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dylkntz/pseuds/Dylkntz
Summary: Eric Matthews grew up surrounded by soulmates, his mother and father were soulmates, and his brother met his soulmates before the first grade. Everyone around him was finding theirs so why couldn’t he find his?Jack Hunter had a complicated relationship with soulmates. His parents were soulmates and yet they still fell out of love, and his mother eventually married someone who wasn’t her soulmate. Jack wanted to find his soulmate, really, but what if he just ends up like his parents?ON HIATUS
Relationships: Jack Hunter/Eric Matthews (Boy Meets World), Shawn Hunter & Topanga Lawrence-Matthews & Cory Matthews, Topanga Lawrence-Matthews/Cory Matthews
Comments: 37
Kudos: 101





	1. Buckle up folks

Eric grew up surrounded by love. His parents were soulmates and  _ deeply _ in love. And his brother had found his soulmates before the first grade. His best friend Jason had found his soulmate Mira a little while after they graduated. 

Everyone around him was finding the person or people the universe had matched them with and yet Eric didn’t have a clue where his could be. 

He stared at the simple red band across his wrist, wondering if he put foundation on it would he be able to convince people his had died, ultimately deciding that wouldn’t work. 

He wanted to meet his soulmate,  _ really _ he did, it’s the one thing he had always wanted; but he was tired of people asking him about it. It was always questions like “Have you felt her?” or “Meet anyone today Eric?” and he was tired of it. Tired of having to watch his family and friends’ bands slowly turn gray while his remained a bright red. 

Tired of having his parents assure him that he’d meet his “Perfect girl” one day, because his soulmate might not even be a  _ girl _ . And even if they were, maybe their connection would be like Cory and Shawns or Jason and Mira’s. Maybe it would be a platonic connection instead of a romantic one. 

But Eric would never find this out if he didn’t meet them soon. 

“Eric hurry  _ up _ !” Came a shout from down stairs, and Eric jolted, hitting his head on the wall.

“Ow  _ fuck _ !” He grabbed the back of his head in pain, quickly grabbing a shirt and throwing it on. 

“ _ Eric _ !” 

He rolled his eyes, and threw his door open, “I’m coming hold  _ on _ !” He grabbed his keys, and quickly made his way down stairs, giving his mom a kiss on the cheek goodbye, before meeting his brother out by the car 

“Took ya-” 

Eric glared playfully, “Finish that sentence I  _ dare _ you.” 

Cory smiled, “ _ Long enough.”  _

“That’s it!” Eric lunged at him, and Cory ran away. And both of them ended up chasing each other in circles around Eric’s car. Eventually Eric stopped running, causing Cory to run into him. And Eric turned around and grabbed Cory, wrestling him to the ground, “Say Uncle!” 

Cory managed to get his head free, and out of breath he screamed, “ _ Never _ !” 

“ _ Boys _ !” They both paused and turned to see their mother glaring at them from the front porch, “Don’t you have to pick up Shawn and Topanga?” 

Eric stood up, brushing dirt off his pants, and helping Cory up, “Yeah, let’s go.  _ Sorry _ Mom.” 

Cory nodded, “Yeah,  _ sorry _ mom!” Cory cleared his throat as they got in the car, “Didn’t say Uncle,  _ by the way.”  _

“Shut up and buckle up so we can pick up your girlfriend and Topanga.” Eric glared, and Cory rolled his eyes 

“Shawn is my  _ platonic _ soulmate for the last tim-” 

He was cut off by Eric starting the car, “What’s that? Sorry can't hear you!” Just barely dodging Cory’s attempt to hit him, he pulled out of the driveway.    
  


“And you didn’t hit the mailbox this time,” Cory said “I’m impressed.” 

“Shut up before I leave you in the middle of the road,” Eric responded, not bothering to listen to Cory’s response, as he just turned the radio up to drown him out. 

He started to zone out a bit, but if anyone asks he was watching the road, and he started to think about the one thing that seemed to be on his mind lately. 

_ Soulmates _ . Or more specifically his lack of one. He watched as Cory rubbed his, now gray, bands around his wrists. “Hey Cor?” 

“ _ Hm _ ,” He looked up “Yeah?” 

“How does it feel,” He motioned to Cory’s bands “Ya know when you meet em.” 

Cory smiled, “I don’t really remember it, but I do remember it feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off of your chest, you just kinda feel  _ lighter _ .” Eric nodded, turning his attention back to the road, and Cory placed his hand on Eric’s shoulder, “You’ll find whoever it is soon dude.” 

“Yeah thanks Cor.” He pulled up in front of Topanga’s house, and both her and Shawn were standing on her lawn, arms crossed

“It took you two long enough,” Topanga said climbing into the back seat, Shawn following suit 

Shawn laughed, “What’s the point of having a soulmate if he's gonna ditch you and his other soulmate to hang with his  _ brother _ ?” Cory turned around and hit him on the back of the head, causing Topanga to laugh 

Shawn hit Cory back before turning to Eric, “So the search for the soulmate getting any better?” 

Eric held up his still very red band, “Nope.  _ You _ ?” 

Shawn held up his wrists showing off a gray band and a red band, “Still stuck with Cory I guess.” 

Topanga spoke up, “You two talk about your soulmates like if they’re a  _ bet _ .” She blew some hair out of her face, “You shouldn’t rush it, they will come to you two in time.” 

Eric made a sour face, “Yeah says little Miss. I met my soulmate before the first grade.” Eric pulled into the parking lot of the complex, “Well we’re here, so  _ get out.”  _

“10 bucks says he doesn’t like it,” Cory whispered to Shawn, and Eric rolled his eyes

It wasn’t that he was picky about what apartment he wanted, I mean he  _ was _ , but he was also scared out of his fucking mind. For  _ one _ he was scared to live on his own for the first time, and for  _ two _ he was terrified of making the wrong decision. 

I mean he was already paranoid enough about not meeting his soulmate and now he had this big decision on his plate. He was scared that if he picked the wrong one he’d end up unknowingly pushing his soulmate away even more. 

His attention was brought back as Cory yelled, tripping over Shawn’s foot. Topanga laughed as her boyfriend started a screaming match with his best friend, and Eric felt something pang in his chest. 

His brother was lucky enough to have two soulmates and find them both early in life, and even though Shawn and Topanga weren’t soulmates they still had a pretty  _ great _ relationship. 

Eric started his way over to them, heart heavy in his chest “Yeah alright are we gonna look at apartments or-” He never got to finish his sentence though, as he felt a small little tug come from his arm. 

Everyone paused, staring at Eric, who was staring at his arm in awe. 

After a minute or two Cory finally broke the silence, “Holy  _ shit _ Eric was that-” 

“My soulmate.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh yeah this is gonna be interesting 
> 
> And I'll drop the link for the soulmate situation explanation if you wanna read that  
> https://dylkntz.tumblr.com/post/636338037684633600/i-made-a-soulmate-au-just-bc-i-can


	2. Jackie boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie boy is here :)   
> Uh yeah Jack's here and having some issues with the rent

“Are you sure you want to go to  _ Pennbrook _ ?” Jack’s stepfather asked for what had to be the 20th time in the past hour. 

Jack set down the box he was carrying, and sighed, “Yes Dad I  _ want _ to go to Pennbrook.” His stepfather just shook his head, mumbling something about ‘today’s kids’ under his breath as he went to go get more boxes. 

Jack ran his fingers through his hair, taking a look around the apartment. The walls were worn, and it was empty except for the few appendices given. It needed some work, but other than that it was nice. And it was cheap which was an extra plus, especially considering his stepfather had agreed to cover the costs. 

“Jack I think this is all of it.” His stepfather said, making Jack jump a little bit. “Do you want any help unpacking because I’ve got-” He checked his watch, before scratching the back of his head, “About 30 minutes before I have to get on the road.” 

“No,” Jack shook his head “I’m okay Dad.” 

His stepfather clapped his hands together, “Well then I’ll...I’ll uh get  _ going _ then.” He hesitated before holding his hand out for a shake, “Call when you can will you, your Mother likes to worry.” 

Jack shook his hand, “I will Dad.” 

His stepfather nodded, picking up his keys, and he turned to Jack, “Remember this is the time to do well in school, not focus on the whole,” He motioned to Jack’s wrist “Soulmate nonsense.  _ Study _ , don’t  _ date _ .” 

Jack nodded, a sense of dread forming in his chest, he rubbed the red band along his left wrist with his thumb. He’d been feeling them a bit more in the last year, and his parents,  _ especially _ his stepfather, were a bit concerned it would interfere with his studies. 

“Yeah Dad I know.” His stepfather gave him one last nod of encouragement, before leaving, and Jack sighed. Opening one of the boxes he muttered to himself, “School comes first, and then  _ dating _ .” 

\-------

After unpacking a couple of boxes, he decided to leave it for another day. He had about a week until school started, plenty of time to get everything unpacked. 

Sighing, he flopped onto his back, landing on the couch. His relaxation didn’t last very long though as someone knocked on his door not 20 seconds later. 

He cursed under his breath, and got up to answer it. Opening it up to a short and kinda scary man. 

“ _ Hello _ ?” 

The man looked him up and down, and Jack started to feel a bit self conscious. “You Mr. _ Hunter _ ?” 

Jack nodded, “That’s me.” 

“Rent check.” 

Jack almost choked, “ _ What _ ? I just moved in.” 

The guy rolled his eyes, “I ain’t asking ya to  _ pay it _ I’m just giving it ya so you know what it is.” 

“I already know what it is, it was on the lease,” Jack pointed out, and the guy huffed 

“Well it just changed so take the check,” The guy shoved the check in Jack’s hand, and walked away. 

Jack closed the door, and opened the envelope. His heart stopped at the new rent. “Holy fuck.” He whispered under his breath, throwing the check on the table, he sighed.    
  


His stepfather had agreed to cover rent, but Jack knew he wouldn’t take  _ kindly _ to this new cost. Jack started to bite his nail, trying to figure out an easy way to make money in order to cover the rent. He could get a part time job in between classes, but even then would he have the time, and if he did would it cover it all?    
  


He sighed, softly banging his head on the wall, “ _ Goddamnit _ .” He slowly made his way over to the phone, and he called home. 

It rang a couple times before his sister picked up, “Hello?” 

“Hey, hey it’s Jack, is dad home?” He started picking at his sweater sleeve 

“ _ Uh yeah he just got home,  _ why _? _ ” She asked, before gasping, “ _ Wait did you already get in trouble?”  _

“Just put him on the  _ phone _ .” Jack insisted, earning a small ‘whatever’ before hearing his stepfather’s voice come from the other end of the line 

_ “Hello?” _

“Hey Dad it’s me, Jack.” 

_ “I know I told you to call but it’s only been a couple of  _ hours _ Jack.”  _ His stepfather laughed, and Jack laughed nervously along with him before clearing his throat 

“Uh actually I came to call you about the rent.”    
  


_ “The  _ rent _ , Jack I already told you I’d pay it until you could.” _

Jack sighed, “Yeah,  _ yeah _ I know but I just wanted to call and tell you the landlord raised it.” 

_ “How much?”  _ His stepfather asked, tone going from playful to stern 

“Only a  _ bit _ .” Jack squeaked, his heart in his throat as his stepfather sighed on the other line

_“How much is a_ bit?” His stepfather asked, impatience dripping off his voice 

“Almost two thousand.” 

The other line went silent, and Jack held his breath. He could hear his stepfather moving on the other side. A couple more seconds passed before his stepfather sighed, “ _ You’ll have to find a way to pay it Jack.” _ Before Jack could argue, his stepfather continued, _ “I will cover the original costs but you’ll have to find a way to cover the raise.”  _

Jack nodded, forgetting his stepfather couldn’t see him, “Okay.” 

_ “Have a goodnight Jack.”  _

“Yeah you too.” 

Hanging up the phone Jack felt a little tug on his wrist, “Goddamnit do you ever  _ stop _ ?” Jack fell backwards onto his couch as he felt a slightly bigger tug, “I want to meet you,  _ really _ I do. But I have to focus on school for now.” Another small tug “So I’d appreciate it if you could wait.” 

He threw his arm over his eyes, “ _ Jeez _ and now I’m talking to myself.” He started to laugh, “God I  _ really _ need to make some friends, and some money. I need friends and money.” 

He sat up, eyes wide, and unsure of why he hadn’t thought of it before, “I need a  _ roommate _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A roommate?!?!


	3. All he wanted was a roommate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly just dialogue, with my own adding's, from.   
> Also like 2,000 words which will probably be the longest chap.

First day of college and Eric had already messed up. He made it all the way to the dorms before he realized he had forgotten to turn in his housing applications. Meaning they thought he wouldn’t need a dorm, he did, meaning they didn’t assign him a dorm; which means here he is trying to sneak back into his house like he’s sixteen. 

He’d managed to pull into the driveway, and walk through the living room up the stairs without being spotted;  _ although _ he did pass two guys on his way up. 

“ _ Daddy’s _ home!” Eric burst through the door to his room, and Cory’s face dropped. 

“Eric, what are you doing here?”

That was a  _ good _ question, for another time. Eric turned around, seeing a queen size bed in place of his and Cory’s old beds. “Oh you didn’t get rid of my bed, did ya?” He laughed and hit Cory on the chest, dropping his duffle, and trying his best to ignore the tug from his band. 

Cory and Shawn didn’t say anything, they both just stood there surprised. He took his sweater off and threw it in his old drawer, that was luckily still empty. “Well it was nice talking to you two.” 

He left his room, and went downstairs to his kitchen, where he greeted his equally shocked parents. “Hey Mom, Hey Dad.” 

“ _ Eric _ ?” His Dad asked, putting his coffee down on the table, “What are you doing  _ home _ ?” 

“Well first day of college, and I got  _ no _ place to stay,” He grabbed a soda from the fridge. “I show up at the dorm, I say, ‘Excuse me.  _ Ding, Ding. _ Front, please. Eric Matthews. I go  _ here _ . Where’s my  _ towel _ ? Where’s my  _ room _ ?’ They tell  _ me _ I’m not on the list.” He rolled his eyes, and laughed “Like there’s a  _ list _ .” 

Closing the fridge, his mom walked over to where he had sat down, “ _ Eric _ , I gave you the forms for the housing list 3  _ months _ ago.” 

“ _ Amy _ , go easy on him.” His Dad wrapped an arm around him, shaking him a bit,and Eric smiled at his Mom “Our son had a little mix-up in housing. He’s home for a  _ visit _ .” He opened the cake dish, “ _ Cake _ ?” 

“ _ Ooh _ , cut it for me?” 

“This is not a  _ visit _ .” His Mom sighed, “He’s _ back. _ ” 

Eric turned to his Dad, who was cutting him some cake, “Why isn’t Mommy happy to see me?” His dad shrugged, dropping the cake onto Eric’s plate.

“I  _ am _ . It’s just sometimes, you scare me.” She sat down at the table next to Eric, “How are you supposed to do well in college if you can’t even fill out a housing application?” 

“Oh it’s worse than that,” Eric said, talking through a mouthful of cake, almost dropping it from the tug on his wrist, “I checked the wrong box on another form. Now they think I’m a  _ girl _ .” 

His Dad laughed, and his Mom sighed, “I give up.” 

“Oh, go on. Relax your mother.” His father shook him slightly again, “Tell her your plans.” 

“Well, I thought I’d hang out here.” He took another bite of cake, “Till this little housing snafu works itself out.” He laughed, licking his fork, “College is  _ hard _ .” 

His Mom nodded, and Eric stood up from the table snapping his fingers pointing at his Dad, “ _ So _ , hoops tomorrow, Daddy?” 

“You’re  _ on _ , Buddy.” 

“I’ll see you on the court, man.” He laughed, high fiving his Dad, before walking back upstairs, “All  _ right _ . Bye, Mom. I’ll be lookin’  _ for ya! _ All  _ right _ !” 

\-------

Jack had spent the last few days looking for a roommate, and he had  _ nothing _ . Not a single potential roommate. He had been through about ten interviews and not a single person is someone he’d live with. 

One person was too messy. Another seemed to critique everything about the apartment. A few others were too interested in the whole partying part of college than the actual college part of it. And about four of them would not  _ shut up _ about soulmates. Jack was so desperate for a roommate he’s pretty sure he’d take whoever walked into his life next. 

His landlord had recommended going to the local town hangout, _ ‘Chubbies _ , said it was the easiest place to find someone. 

“Excuse  _ me _ . New guy in town.” Jack awkwardly called out, walking into Chubbies, “Going to Pennbrook, just got a 3-bedroom apartment, and looking for  _ roommates _ .” 

A curly haired kid walked up to him, “Yo, new guy. This place, does it have  _ a view?” _

Weird question, but Jack nodded, “Oh  _ yeah _ , by the river.” 

“ _ Yay _ !” The kid smiled, and turned to a light haired girl standing next to him, and lowered his voice, “Listen,  _ you _ ask about the fridge, because if he sees how happy I am, he might think I’m  _ insane _ .” 

The girl sighed, and asked Jack, “ _ Fridge _ ?” 

“Big  _ green _ one,” Jack sighed, confused and yet intrigued by the kids, “I think they call it avocado.” 

“ _ Yay! Yay!” _ The kid, who was slightly creeping Jack out a bit, grabbed his shoulder, “Have I got a roommate for you, baby.” 

Giving an awkward laugh Jack brushed his hand off of his shoulder, “It’s not _ you, is it?”  _

“No, no, it’s not me.” He pulled his wallet out, and flipped to a picture in it, “Take a look at  _ this _ .”

“You have a picture of your brother in your wallet?” The light haired girl asked,

“Yeah  _ why _ ?”

“Oh, nothing I just think it’s sweet,” She smiled, before giving him a serious face, “I’m in there too  _ right _ ?” 

Jack didn’t listen to his response as he took the wallet from the boy, the guy was….. _ cute _ . 

_ Extremely _ . 

“ _ Nice looking _ guy.” The boy smiled and nodded, “Easy on the  _ eyes _ , could be some competition for the ladies.” The boy’s smile dropped, as Jack pretended to think about it, “ _ Na _ .” 

He laughed, handing the boy back his wallet, “Ok, I’ll meet your brother. 

“ _ Yes _ ! Finally something good happens for Cory.” The boy, who Jack was assuming was Cory, put his wallet back in his pocket, “The world is my  _ friend _ .” 

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” Jack turned around and saw his half brother glaring at him, and his heart dropped in his chest. Shawn glared at him, and Jack just stared mouth agape, before Jack could speak though Cory interrupted. 

“ _ No _ , don’t ruin this for me,” Cory waved his hands around “Shawn, listen,  _ whoever _ this guy is, whatever  _ minor _ personal infraction happened between the two of you, _ let it go,  _ because the world knows that this one is going to be Eric’s roommate,” He clapped Jack’s shoulder, and Jack cringed “And the world is my friend.” 

The light haired girl spoke up, “How do you two know each other?” 

“He’s my  _ brother _ .”

Cory threw his hands in the air, “Of  _ course _ he is! He is _ not _ your brother.” 

Jack cringed again, and Shawn explained before he could, “Same dad different moms. His mom bailed on my dad years ago. Found a guy with a few bucks, and I guess they’ve kept Jack pretty  _ busy _ .” He glared at Jack, who just stared at the floor, “Cause we haven’t heard from him.” 

Jack sighed, “That’s not  _ exactly _ the way it happened.” 

“Whatever Jack.”

“Look, Shawn, look I think we need to talk, ok?” Jack said, hoping Shawn would agree, because they did need to talk and Jack didn’t want, or  _ need _ , Shawn making a scene here. 

Shawn; however, didn't seem to take the hint. “You turned your back on your  _ father _ , and on  _ me _ ! There...we  _ talked _ .” 

Shawn walked out, leaving Jack standing there awkwardly, hands shoved in his pockets. 

All he wanted was a  _ roommate _ .

\-------

Jack stood outside of his fathers trailer, trying to gain the courage to knock for about half an hour. “Just knock Jack.” He raised his hand to knock, and brought it down again, “It’s just your  _ Dad _ and  _ brother _ , no big deal just knock.” Taking a deep breath, he knocked, earning a curt  _ ‘Come in. _ _ ’ _

Walking into the trailer, Jack received a glare from Shawn. His dad walked up to him, not recognizing him at first, “What can I do for you?” 

Jack didn’t respond, and his dad paused, getting a good look at him. “ _ Well _ , look at  _ you _ .” 

“How are ya?” Jack swallowed a lump in his throat,

“Well, I been  _ ok _ .” His dad laughed, “This is a  _ surprise _ .” 

“I ran into Shawn today.” 

His dad turned to face Shawn, “You told me nothing special happened today!” 

“ _ Yeah _ ,” Shawn said, still glaring at Jack, “I  _ did _ .”

“Shawn, don’t be like  _ that _ ,” His dad walked across the room, and Jack followed like a lost puppy, feeling slightly out of place, “We got ourselves a little family reunion cooking here,  _ huh _ ?”

His dad turned to him, “So  _ uh _ how’s your mama’s husband, your  _ stepdaddy _ , how’s he treating you?” 

“He treats me well.” Jack nodded, and his father nodded along with him. 

“You still in school?” 

Jack smiled, ignoring the slight pull in his wrist, “I graduated from high school. I’m going to Pennbrook now.” 

His dad laughed, “ _ Well _ , what do you know about that? I got me a boy in  _ college _ !” Jack gave a small chuckle, and his dad’s smile dropped, “I guess your new daddy raised you up  _ good _ .” 

“ _ Yeah _ .” Shawn spoke up, “Raised him up  _ so _ good he hasn’t come to visit all this time.” Jack felt a small stab of guilt, and Shawn asked, “What are you doing here Jack?” 

“You know,  _ maybe _ he needs a place to stay.” His dad whispered to Shawn who just rolled his eye, “Look, Jack, I mean, this ain’t much, but I know you’re used to better, but we could another rollaway cot, and you could-” 

“Oh, it’s ok. I got an apartment by the college.” He said, feeling a bit guilty at having to turn down his dad’s offer, “Soon as I find some roommates the place is mine.” 

“I asked you what you’re doing here, Jack.” Shawn spat, “Did you finally get up enough guilt about dad to pay him a little pity call.” 

“That’s not it,” Jack insisted, he didn’t need Shawn trying to make him feel guilty, he already did that enough himself, “I  _ wanted _ to come here. I have a brother here. I came here to see you,  _ too _ .” 

Shawn scoffed, “Yeah, right.” 

“Seeing you two brothers together like that an idea comes over me.” His dad said, smiling, “I don’t get a whole lot of ideas, but I’m pretty sure this is a good one.” He looked at them both, “You two boys have been given an opportunity to get to know each other. I think you should take advantage of it.” 

“No, dad.” Shawn said,

“He wants a roommate,” His dad sighed “Well, I want you to live with him.” 

Jack paused, and turned to his brother, who was just giving him a disgusted look. “I mean I would love to have you as my roommate, it’s a great apartment in a terrific area.” He smiled, even though his enthusiasm was being a bit killed by Shawn’s expression. 

Shawn scoffed, standing up, “ _ No _ .” 

“ _ Look _ , if you’re worried about the rent, I can make up the difference,” Jack said, it shouldn’t be too hard considering some of it was going to be covered by his stepfather.

“There it is,” Shawn smiled “Jack is here to try and rescue me from trailer life.” 

“No, that’s not why I’m here.” Jack insisted, getting annoyed with Shawn, “Look, forget it, man, I gotta go.” He turned to his dad on the way out, “I’m sorry. It was good to see you. I’ll call you.” His dad went to say something, but Jack turned to Shawn and sighed, “You know, I just thought it would be good, Shawn, for the both of us.” 

“Jack!” His dad called out, and he stopped turning around. His dad grabbed a hoodie off of their coat rack, and handed it to him. “Here uh take this. It’s gonna be a cold one tonight.” 

Jack looked at the sweater, before looking up at his dad and smiling, “ _ Thanks _ .” 

Jack left the trailer, ignoring the voices inside, and trying to swallow the feeling in his throat. His brother hated him, his dad was trying to reconnect after seventeen years of nothing, and his stepfather was putting pressure on him about school.

College was supposed to be a new start, but Jack just felt like everything was staying the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know in the show Eric said Es**mo instead of Girl but that's a slur so not using that. (Also Eric was looking for apartments in earlier chaps. but bc he couldn't find any he decided to just go with the dorms, which also didn't work out.)


	4. oh my god the gays are meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title sums it up I feel

“The guy was a dick-”

“Too crampy-”

“To far away-” 

“Maybe-” 

“ _No_ -”

“Probably not-” 

Eric was getting tired of giving the same answers, he didn’t like the roommate, it was too far away from the school, he wasn’t quite so sure, the fridge wasn’t a good color, he didn’t mean any of those things. He was too distracted to actually focus on moving out. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to, he did, but he just couldn’t focus. 

His band had been bothering him all day, every minute or so he felt a tug, all varying in size. Some he wouldn’t have even noticed if he wasn’t hyper aware of them, and some felt like someone had grabbed him by the hand and pulled him the other direction. 

He wasn’t the only one who'd noticed how much they’d picked up either. 

“You’ve been getting those a lot lately.” His dad commented, slightly scratching his gray band, “Any idea who she could be.” 

“Nope not a clue,” Eric said, almost running into the door from the tug, “ _ Damnit _ .” 

“Watch that mouth mister.” 

“Sorry,” Eric apologized, and his dad just laughed under his breath. 

Eric grabbed an apple from the fridge, and his dad threw him a pamphlet. Which hit him in the face before falling to the floor. “What’s this?” 

“Open it.” 

Eric picked it up from the floor, and flipped through it. It was for an open house, a bunch of apartments near campus. They were cheap as well, and almost exactly what Eric wanted. “I still don’t understand dad.” 

“They’re exactly what you want, and cheap so no need for a roommate. What do you say about me and you going to go check it out.” His dad smiled at him, and Eric felt guilty about having to turn it down. 

Luckily Cory walked in, saving Eric from having to wipe the smile off of his fathers face. “Eric I have found you the perfect place to live!” Eric could never escape this could he? “All you gotta do is come meet the roommate, and we’re all ready to go.” 

Eric sighed, about to shut Cory and whatever he had planned down before something happened, but his Dad laughed and jumped up, stopping Eric before he could answer, “That’s great news! Did you hear that?” 

“Yeah dad I heard it.” Wish he hadn’t. 

Cory was practically vibrating, “Well come on let’s go meet him.” 

Eric wanted to protest, say he wasn’t interested and tell Cory to fuck off, but his father was ecstatic. Eric didn’t want to be the one to take that away. Sighing, he agreed to go, “Okay let’s go.” 

“You’ll love him Eric, he’s great, perfect for you!” Eric grabbed his keys as Cory talked. He wished Cory would stop, Eric didn’t care how perfect this guy was, he didn’t want to be his roommate. 

He didn’t want to be anyones roommate. He just wanted all of this pressure, all of the pressure to be good in college, go out on his own, he just wanted it all to stop for a moment. Just a moment so he could breathe. 

“Eric?” Cory asked, and Eric raised an eyebrow, 

“ _ Yeah _ Cor?” 

“You’ve just been standing there, are you ok?” 

“Uh yeah I’m  _ fine _ Cor, just uh let’s go.” He wasn’t fine, he was far from fine. He was so stressed between school, and trying to find an apartment. Not even going into the soulmate business, and trying to hide the fact he liked boys from his family. Which wasn’t easy considering Eric was a  _ terrible _ lair. 

Eric started his car, pulling out of the driveway, and trying his best to get to the apartment based off of Cory’s vague directions. 

It wasn’t that he thought his family would be unsupportive, it’s the 90’s people are a little more accepting with people not being straight, but it wasn’t anywhere near perfect. He just couldn’t take that chance. 

“Right here Eric pull up here.” Eric pulled into a small parking lot. It wasn’t a very big building, had to be about 6 maybe 7 floors, but it was nice, and super close to campus. Maybe Cory was right, maybe this would be the apartment for him after all. 

Getting out of the car, Eric almost ran into his door, “Fucking stupid soulmate, do they ever stop!” 

Cory froze. “Are you sure you’re ok?” 

Eric lurched a bit forward again, hissing as he did so, “I’m  _ fine _ Cor, let’s just this over with.” 

Cory nodded, and led Eric into the building. It was a nice building, simple but not too plain. Eric blew hair out of his face as they stepped onto the elevator. He was a bit on edge considering this was the 10th place he’d seen this week, and 15th is counted the ones he’d looked at earlier in the summer; so he had a good reason to be a bit nervous. 

“Eric we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Cory said, obviously picking up on Eric’s nervousness “It’s no big deal if you wanted to bail.” 

“No,” Eric shook his head. “I’m fine, let's do this.” 

\-------

Jack was still on edge after what happened with Shawn. He got why Shawn was upset, he would be too if he were in Shawn’s position. But he’s not in Shawn’s position, he’s in his position, and in his poston Shawn’s overreacting. Jack was his brother, Shawn didn’t have to like it, but that was the truth. He just wanted Shawn to stop acting like Jack didn’t exist.

But until he did Jack had other things to do. Like meeting the weird kid from Chubbie’s brother about the apartment. If he was being honest he didn’t have high hopes for it, he wanted to don’t get him wrong. The guy was cute, and seemed nice, but he couldn’t bring himself to get his hopes up. 

He had about half an hour until he was supposed to get here. His apartment wasn’t really  _ furnished _ , so he didn’t have to clean. Which led to him laying on his couch, staring at the ceiling, while waiting for them to get here. 

He felt a small tug on his arm, and his thoughts were pulled from Shawn and his potential roommate, to soulmates. Which wasn’t unusual, if he wasn’t worrying about school, Shawn, or roommates, he was worrying about soulmates. More specifically finding one. 

He had a million opinions when it came to the subject of soulmates. He didn’t need one, his parents had proved that. He wanted one though, he wanted a soulmate so bad. But he needed to focus on school before soulmates. He also had to deal with the possibility of his soulmate not being a female like everyone expected. His family wouldn’t react kindly to that. Jack’s stepfather had made how he felt about anyone who wasn’t straight pretty clear. 

A knock on Jack’s apartment saved him from going into memories he didn’t need to think about. “I’m coming!” He got up, straightening out his shirt and pants, and felt a tug at his wrist that had him tripping over his feet, “ _ Jeez _ .” 

He opened his door, and the kid, Cory is Jack remembers correctly, gave him a wide smile, “Heya Jack!” 

“Yeah hi.” The kid freaked him out a bit. It was almost uncanny how happy he was to have found Jack. There was a guy about Jack’s height standing awkwardly next to Cory, he must’ve been the brother considering he looked exactly like his picture. 

He noticed the brother’s band was still bright red, meaning he still hadn’t found his soulmate as well. He could see him fighting against small tugs of his wrist as well.

“Uh well come in.” Jack extended his hand to the brother as he walked it, “Nice to meet you, I’m Jack.” 

The brother shook his hand, “Eric.” 

Jack tried to release his hand but Eric had a death grip on it. Slightly panicking Jack tried to pull away again, “Dude let  _ go _ .” 

Jack looked at Eric who, surprisingly, looked just as shocked, if not more shocked, than Jack. “I  _ can’t _ , you let go!” 

“ _ Guys _ !” Cory yelled, smiling at them both. He pointed at both of their wrists, “ _ Look _ !” 

They both looked down to their wrists. They were connected, and their bands were slowly fading away to grey as if they were soulmates. Both Jack and Eric seemed to make the connection at the same time. They both looked up at each other, faces pale, and eyes wide. 

“Holy shit.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might be gone for a while because of New years but nothing to crazy :)


	5. Eric and Cory bond while Jack avoids his issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've re-written this chap like 4 times so that's why it took so long 
> 
> Tw: Panic attacks, and mentions of homophobia I think that's it but if not let me know

“Holy shit.” They both breathed out, before pulling their hands away. 

Jack gulped, before rubbing his hands together, “Uh so do you wanna get on with the uh..you know?” Eric licked his lips, and Jack’s eyes shot down to them. 

“Uh,” Eric nodded, “yeah sure, that'd be great.”

Cory was looking back and forth between them, moving his eyes so fast Jack thought they were going to fall out. Jack cleared his throat, the tension suffocating him. Is this what people meant when they said it was like “fireworks” when you met your soulmate, that it got really hot and you felt like you’re melting. 

“Favorite color on three?” Eric asked, squinting at Jack a bit. Jack almost laughed at the normality of the question after what just happened. 

“Blue!” They both said at the same time, and Cory smiled. 

Smoking. Jack had a big no on smoking. “You smoke?”

“No,” Eric shook his head, before raising an eyebrow, “you smoke?”

“Na,” Eric nodded, and Jack was going to officially declare this the most awkward conversation he’d ever had, and that includes every conversation he’s ever had with extended family. “You like pets?” 

“Not a pet guy,” Eric said, awkwardly shoving his hands, Jack could be imagining things, but it was like he was trying to purposely cover his band. “I got four kids though.” 

Cory laughed, a weird over exaggerated laugh. It was an obvious attempt to ease up the conversation. Eric shot him a glare and Cory stopped laughing, “What? I thought it was funny.” 

Eric and Jack shared a look, and Jack extended his hand again. “Well it was uh, it was nice to meet you Eric.” 

Eric nodded, accepting- albeit reluctantly, Jack’s handshake, “Yeah see you around Jack.” 

\-------

“So he’s your roommate.” Cory asked as soon as Eric and he walked out of Jack’s apartment. “I mean it’s kinda a no brainier.” 

“I don’t like him.” Eric interrupted, and Cory’s jaw dropped. 

“What,” Cory practically screamed, causing Eric to shush him. Eric dragged Cory into the elevator as it opened. “Eric, you and Jack are so perfect for each other you should be married! I mean not to add that he’s you s-” 

Eric held a finger to his mouth, “Don’t even say it. Just because we’re soulmates doesn’t mean we’re perfect for each other.” Cory raised an eyebrow, “Ok maybe it does, but I don’t even know the guy Cor. I mean so what if we’re soulmates, you and Shawn are!” Cory laughed, and Eric sighed, “ok bad analogy, but my point still stands.” 

“I mean if you take out the part that me and Shawn are platonic soulmates, and you and Jack are obviously not.” Cory said, and Eric almost fainted. 

“What?” He stammered, “No, no me and Jack are not- I’m not-.....what?” 

Cory gave him a soft look, and Eric pulled at his shirt, which was suddenly tighter than it had been a moment before. Eric was dumbfounded by how easily Cory had read the situation, I mean yeah Cory did have a romantic and a platonic soulmate, so he would know how both worked. Which meant he probably was able to tell the difference- oh Eric was really fucked now. 

“Look Cor-” 

“I won’t tell anyone.” Cory said, holding his hands up in surrender, “Look I get what’s on the line for you here. I mean Jack’s a gut, and even though you can’t control soulmates there are douche bags out there who don’t really like boys being with boys. So your secret is safe with me.” 

Eric visibly relaxed, letting out a breath he’d been holding, “Thank you. I appreciate it.” 

“No need to thank me,” Cory said, clapping his hand on Eric’s shoulder as they got out of the elevator, “I’d do anything for you man, you’re my brother.” 

“Yeah, and it’s real brother like trying to kick me out of the house,” Eric laughed. 

“Hey,” Cory tried his best to look offended “I just want my room back. Plus it’s just the room, not my life Eric.” 

“Yeah,” Eric sighed, sometimes it sure felt like Cory was just trying to kick him out of his life, “I know, just please can we change the subject.” 

\-------

When the door closed Jack let out a breath, the room was spinning under him, and he sat down on the couch to stop him from falling. His breath was coming out in short bursts, and his chest was tight. His wrist, or more specifically his band, was burning. He started scratching at it, trying to get the pain to go away, but he only succeeded in making it worse. Jack looked at the now gray band on his wrist, he’d never had a good feeling about it, and now, all of his worries were just confirmed. His stepfather told him not to go looking for his soulmate, that was the one thing he had to do, and he couldn’t even do that. One thing was all he was asked to do, and he failed. He hasn’t even been here two weeks. 

His vision started to get to blur, and he tried to remember what his mother had told him to do when he got like this. He managed to stumble his way from the couch to the fridge, grabbed a few pieces of ice, and plopped them in his mouth. Focusing on chewing the ice, and the cold of the ice, started to help calm him down. The world wasn't spinning anymore, and Jack took that as a good sign. He sighed, running his still shaking fingers through his hair. 

Deciding he’d probably had enough excitement for the day, Jack stepped into his bedroom. He shrugged off his clothes, and picked some of his pajamas off of the floor. He just threw his old clothes onto a pile of unpacked boxes, and grabbed a discarded sheet. He laid down onto his mattress. Pulling the sheet over himself, and quickly fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short but it was exactly 1,000 words so


	6. The gay panic is starting to set in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shawn is demiromantic bc I said so and it's my fic so I make the rules

Shortly after Jack woke up from his nap, feeling slightly better, he heard a knock at his apartment door. Reluctantly, he slowly shuffled his way to the door. Peering through the peephole he saw Shawn. 

“Hey,” Jack mumbled groggily, and Shawn slightly swayed on the balls of his feet. “What are you doing here?” 

“I,” Shawn scratched the back of his neck, “uh,” He struggled to find the right words, and Jack opened his door wider, motioning for him to come in. Shawn shot him a grateful look, and walked into his apartment. 

Jack awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as Shawn took in the place, he couldn’t make out Shawn's expression, and that worried him a bit. Jack cleared his throat, “It’s uh, it’s not much.” 

“Bigger than my damn trailer,” Shawn mumbled, and Jack gave a small chuckle, “ _damn_.” He took a couple more seconds to take in Jack’s apartment, before turning back to face Jack. “I- uh I came to apologize for how I acted, I was a bit of a dick.” 

“A bit?” Jack joked, and Shawn shrugged, “But it’s fine, I deserved it.” 

Shawn raised an eyebrow, “No you didn’t. I was mad at my dad and I took it out on you, you were just trying to be a good brother. ‘S not your fault I refuse to let people help me.” Jack shrugged, deciding not to argue with Shawn, as they were finally getting along. 

“My offer,” said Jack, “it still stands, if you want to live here, you’re more than welcome too.” 

“Would Eric mind?” Shawn asked, “I mean I heard he was looking at it too.” 

Jack scratched at his shoulder, “It’s kinda complicated, but you and his brother are friends right? So I’m sure he wouldn’t, and even if he did I’d choose my brother over him.” 

“You’d choose your brother you barely know over your soulmate?” Shawn asked, and Jack choked on air. 

“How-” 

Shawn pointed at his wrist, “Your band is grey, and it wasn’t last time I saw you so I put two and two together.” Jack looked at him in disbelief, “Also Cory can’t keep his mouth shut.” Jack sighed, leaning against his counter top, head buried in his hands. 

“That kid’s going to be the death of me.” 

“Yeah,” Shawn agreed, giving a lighthearted laugh, “well me and him are a packaged deal, with me comes him.” Shawn rolled up his shirt sleeves showing Jack a grey band and a red band, “Forever, so you better get used to him.” 

“You and he are-” 

“-soulmates.” Shawn nodded, “Platonically, but soulmates all the same. Honestly I’d rather have a platonic soulmate than a romantic one. Even though they’re just the same, minus the kissing and stuff.” 

“Would you mind me asking why?” Jack asked, and Shawn shook his head. 

“Nope it’s cool,” He sighed, “I don’t know I just don’t feel that way about anyone, like maybe if I got to know someone I would, but right away? I just for some reason can’t.” Jack nodded, “But luckily for me this one’s-” He raised his arm with the red and on it in air, “-still in the wind so I’ve got time.” 

Jack nodded, absentmindedly rubbing his own grey band. Shawn eyed his wrist, and he gave him a small smile, “Now it’s my turn to pry,” Jack raised an eyebrow, “What’s going on with you and Matthews numero uno?” 

Jack shrugged, “I don’t know. We just met, and I don’t like guys.” Shawn gave him a questioning look, “I don’t!” He sighed, pulling his sweater sleeve further down his wrist, “I like him sure, not like that, and I wouldn’t mind being friends with him. I just-” He rubbed his eyes, “I didn’t come here to date, or to find my soulmate. So I don’t really know what’s going on.” 

Shawn stood next to him, jokingly slugging him on the shoulder, “Well, he’s a Matthews so you can’t go wrong with him, soulmate or not. Just trust your gut.” 

Jack nodded, “I can do that,” He paused, “I think.” 

\-------

“You know,” Cory said, and Eric really wished he would shut up, “you have a place to go. There’s no need to freak out about finding one. I mean-” 

“Cory, would you shut up?” Eric asked, exasperated with Cory’s attempt to get him to move in with Jack, “Why do you care so much anyway? You have your soulmates, you have the perfect life. Stop trying to do the same to mine.” Cory looked at him, shocked by his outburst, and Eric sighed, “Sorry, I just, I don’t know what to do.” 

Cory nodded, “I understand.” He silently left the bedroom, leaving Eric alone with his thoughts. 

His dad had kicked him out, and now he had a week until he was forced to leave. Well, he had a place to go. It wasn’t a bad place either, it was a very good place, with a very nice roommate. Who also happened to be Eric’s soulmate, and he just so happened to be a  _ he _ . Which, because assholes are going to be assholes, isn’t always accepted by everyone. 

Well it would be accepted, if it was a platonic connection, but because the world seems to find humor in Eric’s pain it’s not a platonic connection. Eric knows this, Cory knows, Jack most likely knows this, and it’s only a matter of time before their families know this. 

Eric just didn’t know what to do, on one hand, Jack’s nice, and cute, and his  _ soulmate _ . But on the other hand, Jack was nice, cute, his soulmate, and it was the 90’s. His parents wouldn’t disown him, but he wasn’t quite sure what their reaction would be. 

He was running out of options, it was either to live at Jacks or become homeless in a week. One of those options was better than the other. Eric sighed, kicking the bed in frustration, “God what am I going to do?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took really long to write and idk why but hope you enjoyed


	7. Author is having a pretty great valentines day so he decided fuck it and uploaded a new chap.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I usually am not a big fan of valentines day for personal reasons. But last year I got surgery on valentines day so it's the one year for my surgery. Also this is my first valentines day with my girlfriend whom I adore so I decided in honor of me having a valentines day that i didn't spend under anesthesia, or that wasn't utter shit, I'd upload this today :)

Eric loaded the last box into the truck, grimacing as his dad clapped him on the back. His dad was so happy he’d found someone to live with and Eric didn’t have the heart, or the guts to tell him the real situation. He couldn't break his family's hearts like that. It was hard enough knowing the real meaning behind him and Jack, but having Cory shooting him glances every thirty seconds like Eric was just going to snap was killing him even more. Eric shifted uncomfortably under Cory’s gaze. Averting his eyes from him, as he hopped into shotgun. The ride to Jack’s was quiet, but not awkward. Luckily, his dad lived in utter ignorance of his son's predicament. Unluckily, though, that somehow put Eric on edge more. 

Would Jack say something? Maybe Eric should’ve called him in advance to let him know the situation. Jack probably wouldn’t let it out of the bag though, considering he was just as freaked as Eric when it happened. Eric took a deep breath as they approached Jack’s, also Eric’s now he guessed, apartment. His dad said something but Eric didn’t register it. 

The rest of the moving process was pretty much a blur. All Eric could really remember was hugging his dad, and signing the lease. Also Shawn had made up with Jack, because he was also there. 

“Hey Eric?” Shawn asked, and Eric hummed shifting his attention from his boxes to Shawn. “Uh,” Shawn shifted his weight from foot to foot, and scratched the back of his neck, “Jack told me about the uh,” He pointed his wrist, “thing.” 

Eric froze. Jack had every right to tell Shawn. Cory knew, so why shouldn’t Shawn? Cory was probably just going to tell him anyways, considering the kid couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it. Eric just shrugged, “Yeah, you’re his brother so, that’s cool.” 

Shawn nodded awkwardly, running his fingers over his knuckles, “So, uh, yeah I’ll just go.” 

Eric watched as he walked away, and went back to unpacking his boxes. He managed to get two and half boxes done before he was interrupted again, this time by Jack. Eric didn’t say anything at first, he just watched as Jack silently walked into his room, shutting the door behind him.

“We’re getting pizza if you want some?” Jack asked, and Eric nodded, giving a small chuckle. 

“Yeah, I could go for some pizza,” Eric motioned towards the door, raising an eyebrow, “I just don’t get why you shut the door for such a simple question.”

Jack blushed, “I- uh,” He opened the door against, “yeah that uh, that my bad, sorry.” 

“It’s fine.” 

They both just stood there in silence, but once again it wasn’t awkward silence. More of an unspoken one. Like they both had something to say, but couldn’t find the words to say it. Instead, they stood there in silence, with a mutual understanding of the meaning. Eventually Jack made his way out, and Eric went back to his boxes. 

The pizza came a half an hour later, and they sat in almost complete silence. The background noise of the TV being the only thing keeping them from awkwardly eating pizza in silence. Shawn eventually cleared his throat, and asked them both about their courses in order to try and break the silence. Overall failing as both Jack and Eric would only respond with a few words before going back to eating. Shawn finished before them, placing his dish in the sink, and returning to his room. Which left Jack and Eric sitting alone in silence. 

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly. Eric cleared his throat, placing his empty dish in the sink, “Uh, night.” He said, and Jack mumbled a quiet, _‘night’_ back. 

\-------

The next morning, Eric was greeted by Shawn in the kitchen. Shawn was standing by the toaster, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the toast to cook. Eric sighed sliding onto one of the chairs. He checked the clock, turning to Shawn, before asking, 

“Shouldn’t you be in first period by now?” Shawn whipped around, checking the time, before hurriedly popping his toast early, and grabbing his coat. Eric watched as Shawn ran out the door, laughing quietly to himself. That kid is such a mess. 

“What’s so funny?” He heard Jack groggily ask, and Eric turned around on his chair to look at him, taking a quick inhale of breath when he did. He was wearing nothing but a sweater and some low hanging boxers. Jack seemed to notice him staring, and flushed a deep red. “Uh sorry hold on-” 

“No!” Eric said, a little too quickly, he cleared his throat, “Uh I mean, _no_ , it’s cool, you don’t have to uh, change.” 

Jack nodded, awkwardly walking into the kitchen, did it even count as a kitchen? It was connected to the living room, and there was nothing but the counter separating it. Kitiving? Litchen room? Whatever you want to call it, Jack walked into it. Eric watched as he grabbed two slices of bread, and put them into the toaster. Jack turned around, raising as eyebrow at Eric. 

“You want anything,” He asked, “There’s not much, but we have toast, or uh leftover pizza if you want?” Eric just shook his head, and Jack shrugged, “Suit yourself.” 

Eric wanted to get back up and retreat to his room, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He wanted to avoid the awkward and unspoken silence with Jack. But he felt like he had to stay, like he needed to be present with Jack in the room. Maybe it was the bond. Shawn, Cory, and Topanga seemed to always be together. Maybe the bond pulling you towards your soulmate didn’t just end when you met them. Maybe in some weird fucked up way, it kept pulling you towards each other you just didn’t know it, or it wasn’t as obvious. 

Well, whatever it was Eric wasn’t sure how he felt about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh I don't really have any notes but uh hope you enjoyed?


End file.
